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T29 Heavy Tank
The '''T 29 Heavy Tank '''was an American heavy tank project started in March 1944 to counter the new German tanks. The T26E3 (M26 Pershing), weighing around 45 tonnes, was not considered heavily enough armed or armored to counter the Königstiger, which weighed closer to 70 tonnes. The T29 was not ready in time for the war in Europe, but it did provide post-war engineers with opportunities for testing the engineering concepts in artillery and automotive components. The T29 was based upon a lengthened version of the T26E3 hull and featured heavier armor, an uprated Ford GAC engine providing about 770 bhp (570 kW) gross, 650 bhp (480 kW) net, and a massive new turret incorporating the high velocity 105 mm T5 gun. It weighed approximately 132,000 lb (60 t) unstowed and 141,000 lb (64 t) combat loaded. Its maximum armour thickness was 279 mm compared to 180 mm on the German Königstiger while its 105 mm gun was 7.06 m long compared to the 6.29 m of the Königstiger's 88 mm. Other trial models had Allison V1710 V12 engines. Developed at the same time and closely related to the T29, the T30 Heavy Tank was virtually identical but mounted a 155 mm gun T7 and featured a more powerful engine and an extra crew member to help load the gun. In 1945, with the war in Europe already over, the T29 and T30 were classified "limited procurement" and a small order proposed on the basis that their large guns and heavy armor would be useful for attacking Japanese bunkers. Army Ground Forces command, however, objected to the deployment of such heavy vehicles and the war ended before the issue was resolved, so only a small batch of pilot models were constructed. The final variation of the T29 concept, the Heavy Tank T34, mounted a 120mm gun based upon the then-current 120mm anti-aircraft gun. This gun was designated as the 120 mm T53, which could achieve a maximum rate of fire of 5 rpm with two loaders. With solid shot weighing 50 pounds, it had a muzzle velocity of 3150 feet per second. A lightweight HVAP round with a muzzle velocity of 4100 feet per second was in development. In order to balance out the longer and heavier cannon, an additional 4" of armour was welded on the rear of the turret bustle. There were only two prototypes, one converted from one of the T29 pilot models and one converted from a T30. Once again, the end of the war curtailed further development, but the experience gained with the T34 was valuable in the development of the M103 heavy tank. The T-29 featured a coincidence rangefinder projecting from both sides of the turret. There are a couple surviving T29s on post at Fort Knox, Kentucky. One is located in front of the General George Patton Museum of Leadership and there is another located in front of Marshall Bay. The T29 entered FHSW in version 0.5 and followed the Super Pershing as the heaviest allied ground vehicle. But not for long, because in version 0.55 it was followed by the T28. BF1942 2014-10-12 16-24-20-19.jpg BF1942 2014-10-12 16-24-22-66.jpg BF1942 2014-10-12 16-24-26-15.jpg BF1942 2014-10-12 16-24-30-27.jpg BF1942 2014-10-12 16-24-41-02.jpg BF1942 2014-10-12 16-24-44-06.jpg BF1942 2014-10-12 16-25-59-27.jpg BF1942 2014-10-12 16-26-02-34.jpg BF1942 2014-10-12 16-26-10-71.jpg BF1942 2014-10-12 16-26-13-75.jpg BF1942 2014-10-12 16-23-56-28.jpg Category:Equipment of the USA Category:Heavy tanks